Fazanchaudhry
This season also had a lot more faces that I remember after watching in comparison to season 1. This is due to the fleshing out a bit more of some cast as well as more attractive cast members than that of season 1. The nicknames given to the cast as well made it easier to recall who is who in the beginning stages of the season.
I enjoyed the competitions and the winner was deserved however not the best athlete in my personal opinion. This show is addicting to watch over and over again due to it's nature in being motivating and adrenaline boosting. The only flaws I can really afford this series is that I wish it was longer so the viewer could fully see each characters matches and choose their favorite right from the start however due to the attention span of the youth nowadays, it is easy to assume why the series had to be as short as it is.
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I wanna talk firstly about the atmospheric set up and locations which were so fun to view. The sleep area as well as the conversational area between games really sets the tone for the show and gives us a type of nostalgic feel as when we were kids and all slept in the same house. It targets your childlike minds and it is extremely fun to watch. The area definitely took time to construct as well as costs a lot to house but it was definitely worth it as the cast spent a good amount of the time on screen in this room.
The plot was so refreshing and such a newly put idea to the screen and the cast just made it that much more intriguing. A few characters were useless and did not add much to the games and if I were in the show I would target those individuals to be eliminated first but due to show politics, some characters has differing ideals in terms of letting the weak herd survive when it held no benefit to the show. As enjoyable as the show was, it would have hit much harder had the 5-6 strongest characters ( Seok-Jin, Orbit, See-Won, Dong-Jae, Guillamme, Dong-Joo ) been at the end of the series battling it out via pure intellect and cunning. A season 2 could excerpt this criticism hopefully and we could see an even smarter show than this already is.
The games were unlike anything I have seen on tv prior and since viewing this show. You have to have a high IQ to even understand some of the games considering how complex they truly are, which is why this show has incredible rewatch ability. I did not get bored even watching this show one time which truly says to how great of a show this is. There is always an engaging aspect that makes you want to continue watching and not want to put this show down. A sad aspect of this show is seeing some of the characters being underutilized due to either their own doing or just plain unlucky. Dong-Jae, Dong-Joo, Guillamme, all had much more to offer season 1 than what they actually did which is a flaw but all in all this show was fantastic. The winner was well deserved and the best player all season irregardless of each individual episode.
I did not agree with Orbit's strategy in the sense that the weak herd should not be a tag along group, and instead in a show like this, everyone should have to pay their dues every game to survive. Skill based eliminations are the key to shows like this, but for some reason it always becomes political. The finals was incredible and the games again were extremely fun to watch as well see play out.
I would describe this series as a Physical 100 but purely mental, which to some including myself is even more intriguing. If you are a fan of mind games as well as a complex mental model then this show is surely for you.
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The main issue I have with this show is due to Physical 100 and it's magnificent cast. I believe this series suffered a lot due to the cast not being particularly known or high level athletes which made the show sort of redundant and unnecessary because of knowing that the athletes competing are not the best of the bets unlike Physical 100 where all if not most cast was revered and respected throughout Korea for their accomplishment in some sort of setting.
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This review may contain spoilers
Twenty Five Twenty One is my first true experience in the realm of K-Dramas and I could not have asked for a better start. This show has delivered in many more aspects than I could have ever dreamed. The simpleness of the story, but the rawness of the actors brings together a spectacular slice of life series. At first I did not like the main lead Na Hee-Do as I felt she was a bit too over the top, but as time went on slowly but surely I started to relate with her and see my own self in her character. Her experience with being an individual with great potential but not acting on it slowly turned into just another talented person that could have been something special. She never backed down from anyone and always stood her ground believing in what she thought was correct so no matter if you like her or not, you would always respect Na Hee-Do.
The maturity shown in this series was refreshing. Even though most of the cast was teenage to twenty years old, they really behaved in such a sophisticated manner. Never taking anything personally no matter how harsh they must have felt it to be, they always thought that there must have been a reason behind it. This speaks volumes to real life in the sense that if you love someone but do not agree with their decisions do you really love that person whole? People do things in life that will benefit them as we are all selfish beings, so why is it that we are always so surprised when it happens directly to us? We think we are special and therefore we should not be betrayed to an extent, but in the other person's brain, it is not betrayal, it is simply making the best decision for themselves.
A compact 16 episodes really tells this story in full. I do not feel like it dragged, or even went on longer than it should have. It was enough… just like friendship and relationships are. Though it might not be as long as you might have hoped, without that person or persons, could you really say you would be the person you are today? So in that sense, was it not worth it?
I feel as though Na Hee-Do’s mothers character is one that can garner some intense views, but personally as harsh as she was I do agree with her. I believe Na Hee-Do would not be the champion she became without the strong womanly presence her mother brought to her. Tough love is not always agreed upon, but it is how I was raised and I thank my mother as well for that. It brings true strength. This one line from her mother encapsulates her character in a whole “ It is not my job to congratulate you, it is to make you worthy of congratulations``. She loves her daughter as most mothers do, but feels that praising her daughter will make her be content with her standing so she does the opposite and never praises her. Forever leaving Na Hee-Do to be in a constant state of trying to win her mothers approval while at the same time bettering herself in the process.
This show is a constant tearjerker especially during the controversial final between the two main women. Seeing Na Hee-Do get comforted in the restaurant by those old men telling her that she truly did win was a fantastic portrayal of grief being overcome. Till then, no one has really congratulated her, not even her mother. Seeing the love she received in the most unlikely of places was beautiful. If that was not enough, we also see that the main male got in contact with the referee and convinced him to get a piece of his opinion on the action. This show is perfect as showing all sides, it brings up a problem and tackles it in such unique ways from all different angles. The relationship between pretty boy and Ko Yu-Rim is also moving extremely slowly but perfectly in the context of the story. Also one of the aspects I love about K-Dramas is how they portray love in such an innocent way. It all starts as friends first and slowly moves further and further as we see both characters are in love but too shy to express it in their own ways.
One of my favorite scenes in this drama is when Ko Yu-Rim is singing and later jumps into the pool. Na Hee-Do is there to watch all this and as much as she might believe she hates Ko Yu-Rim, you could see the worrisome nature in her face seeing the jump. She was genuinely fearful because as much as she might see her as a rival, she still respects her as an individual and a person. The music, the tense but relaxing atmosphere, the sight of Ko Yu-Rim being in her feelings and showing emotion made this scene absolutely unforgettable to me. Both these women are broken, yet found the solitude in fencing. As much as they compete, they do not yet know they are the exact same person. Twins born of different parents even. The next scene is the two women messaging on the chat board yet unknowing that they are speaking to each other. Truly a prophetic moment, two girls with everything in their hands and the world at their fingertips, yet at the end of each day, all they can do is go and message the one person that has been there throughout everything. The one person that they have not even seen in person yet trusts them with all their hard difficulties.
I also love the scene where Na Hee-Do hears two women in the washroom gossiping about Ko Yu-Rim and her family situation. It is at that moment where she takes charge and goes into the stall and attempts to beat up the two girls in protection of Ko Yu-Rim. This is one of the true moments we see Ko Yu-Rim and Na Hee-Do work together and it felt absolutely fantastic to see. Ko Yu-Rim had always disliked Na Hee-Do but after learning that she was the one Ko Yu-Rim was talking to, she does a complete 180 and realizes all of her past mistakes which takes a truly grown person to do. The actress that plays Ko Yu-Rim has great facial emotions. Whenever she is in a sad scene, it really makes the viewer feel exactly what it is that she is feeling. You just can't help but want to give her a hug and tell her everything will be alright.
Seeing the two embrace each other after Ko Yu-Rim confesses she is the online friend is so heartwarming. I just could not help but smile the entire time through. The two girls finally found their platonic soulmate and it is beautiful to see. All that hatred and all that anger at one another just vanishes and it turns to embrace and lovingness.
The second last episode was absolutely heart wrenching especially towards the end. Seeing the differing situations between Yi-Jin and Hee-Do was just setting this show up for a sad finale. Growing up is an occurrence that no one can ever help. You can not ever beat time. We should have known that this would eventually happen to the couple that fell in love so young, but we just never learn as humans. Relationships between humans are the most difficult thing to work out because of them having two fully functioning people. Two smart and in different mind stated individuals.
No one was simply to blame in this couple's ending, if anything it was simply the cards they were dealt. Having to be apart so early in the relationship, and on top of the already difficult long distance was the added agony of both and especially Yi-Jin’s day to day life. He wanted to succeed and in doing so he took all opportunities, but the cost was the life he imagined with Hee-Do. We see when they break up first, that Hee-Do does not even seem like the same person. She is so cold on the outside and has just fully checked out from an emotional standpoint. She thought of all different routes this relationship could go and came to the conclusion that it was a lost cause and there was no way to pick up the already broken pieces.
It gets to a point in some relationships where even if you are one of the people within, you look as a bystander. Some relationships are just not meant to last, and it gets to the point of simply watching either yourself or your partner lose the attachment once felt.
All in all, this show was a great entry and had magnificent points throughout its 16 episode run time. I do believe that it had a bit of a fall off later in the series, but the last 2 episodes were done greatly. Some questions such as how Yi-Jin and Yu-Rim know each other from their childhood, I feel could have been incorporated into the story a lot better. I definitely would not say this show has failed potential as it had a great ending and accomplished what it set out to, but I was not satisfied quite fully after the show ended.
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The unique nature of the editing was completely fascinating to view and it was done in such a perfect way that I was surprised that other dramas since this have no stolen the concept. In each and every episode, there would be a plot twist type of moment in which we as the viewer are dumbfounded as to how what we have just seen truly transpired and this is when the editing that has manipulated us during the episode reveals to us the hidden conversations between contestants.
The Genius was an adventure of a show and I did not find myself getting bored for even a minute which surprised even myself. A true masterclass in it's genre and I am glad to see that The Devil's Plan is getting the love it deserves because with that will come more and more season of such a show.
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